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| Iraq |
| Brits hand Umm Qasr back to Iraqis |
| 2003-05-15 |
| Edited for brevity. British forces formally turned over control of the port of Umm Qasr to a civilian government today, the first such hand over since the war ended. The hand over to a 12 member council came in a small ceremony in the port, 50 miles south of Basra. âThis is the first step towards turning Iraq back to its people,â said Flight Lieutenant Peter Darling. British troops will retain control over the port, but all other civil administrative duties will revert to the town council, Darling said. It will be responsible for everything from schools and hospitals to a municipal police force. The current council is made up of volunteers, including professionals and religious leaders. However, elections will be held in the next couple of weeks to confirm the peopleâs choice, he said. There has already been some controversy over a previous group of council members, who were criticised by residents for being corrupt and ineffective. Sounds like the spirit of Democracy has taken root already! Several other town councils have been set up throughout Iraq, but Umm Qasr will be the first one to take over complete control of a town from U.S. or British troops. |
| Posted by:Dar |